Treatment of hydrocarbon oils



Sept.. i9, i933a J. D. SEGUY TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBON OILS Filed July 26, 1930 INVENTOR JEAN DELATTRE sr-:Guv

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Patented Sept. 19, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TREATMENT F HYDROCARBON OILS Jean Delattre Seguy, Chicago, Ill., assignor to` Universal Oil Products Company,'Chicago, Ill., a. corporation of South Dakota Application July 26, 1930. Serial No. 470,849

3 Claims. (Cl. 196-60) This invention relates to the treatment of hycomponents or reflux condensate are formed and drocarbon oils and pertains more particularly to returned to the heating element 13 as described. improvements inthe art of cracking. A portion of the vapors from chamber 23 is The invention in one of its forms relates to a circulated through line 30 controlled by valve 31 5 process for cracking hydrocarbon oils wherein by means of pump 32 through control valve 33 60 the oil undergoing treatment is subjected to a into secondary heating element 13' and through suitable conversion under the desired conditions valve 34, line 35, valve 36 back into the flashing of temperature and pressure, the vapors and unand coking chamber 23. The purpose of circuvaporized residue produced from the conversion lating the vapors is two-fold, namely, to supply being subsequently subjected to further treat` heat to the dashing and coking chamber 23 in 65 ment. addition to bringing about further conversion of In one of the preferred embodiments of the the vapors leaving 23 into hydrocarbons having invention, the oil under treatment is subjected anti-knock properties thus increasing the value to conditions which will induce cracking, being of the motor fuel produced by the process.

15 then withdrawn into a distillation zone wherein A portion of the vapors leaving heating ele- 70 are separated vapors and unvaporized residue, at ment 13' may pass directly to fractionating colleast a portion of the vapors being separately umn 6 through line 54 having valve 55. This subjected to further conversion and returned to permits controlling the quantity of vapors to rethe distillation Zone to assist in controlling the turn to chamber 23.

temperature therein and to contribute to the A portion of the charging stock may be fed 75 regulation of the character of the product prodirectby pump 3 through valve 3'7 and line 38 duced by the distillation. into the hot oil pump 10 and subsequently into Further objects of the invention will become the heating element 13. The vapors leaving the evident from the following detailed description fractionating column 6 pass through line 39, valve of the invention. 40 into cooler and condenser 41. The-.products 80 Referring to the drawing which is diagrampass through line 42, valve 43 into receiver 44 matic and not to scale and is illustrative of one and the liquid may be withdrawn from receiver form of apparatus suitable for carrying out the 44 through line 45 controlled by valve 46. The operation of the process of the invention, the raw vapors are discharged through line 47 controlled oil charging stock is pumped through line 1, valve by valve 48. 85 2 by means of pump 3 through valve 4, line 5 into A portion of the liquid in receiver 44 may be the fractionating column 6 where it undergoes recirculated through line 49 controlled by valve heat exchange with the vapors arising therein 50, by means of pump 51 through valve 52 and and assist in the cooling and fractionating of said line 53 into fractionating column 6 where it assists vapors. in fractionating the vapors therein and regulating 90 The reex condensate formed in 6 passes the boiling range of the products leaving the through line 7, valve 8, line 9 and is pumped by same. means of hot oil pump l0 through valve 11 line I may use temperatures in the heating element l2 into heating element 13 located in furnace set- 13 of approximately 800 degrees F. to 1000 de- 40 ting 14. The oil at the conversion temperature grees F. and temperatures in the heating element 95 is discharged from heating element 13 through 13 of approximately 900 degrees F. to 1300 deline 15 and may be passed through line 16, valve grecs F. more or less. Differential pressures may 17 into the reaction chamber 18, the contents of be used between the heating element 13 and the which are discharged through line 19, valve 20 succeeding-elements such as the reaction charninto line 21 through valve 22 and into flashing ber, flashing and coklng chamber, fractionating and coking chamber 23. A portion or all of the column, condenser and receiver or the pressures oil may be passed through line 24, valve 25, line on the heating element 13 may be equalized with 21, valve 22 into the flashing and coking chamber respect to the reaction chamber 18 with pref- 23. A small amount of steam may be introduced erably reduced pressures on ashng and coking into the chamber 23 through line 26 controlled by chamber 23, fractionating column 6 and vheating valve 27. element 13' as Well as on the condenser and `vapors leaving the flashing and coking chamleCeiVer. ber 23 pass through vapor line 28 controlled by As a specific example of the results obtained valve 29 and are passed into the fractionatlng by the operation of the process of my invention, column 6 where the heavier intermediate boiling a 22 A. P. I. gravity fuel oil was treated using a temperature of approximately 885 degrees F. in the heating element 13, passing the heated oil through the reaction chamber 18 and discharging the same through line 21 into the flashing and coking chamber 23. a

The pressure on the heating element 13 and reaction chamber 18 was maintained at' about 200 pounds per square inch. The pressure on the flashing and coking chamber 23 was maintained at approximately 50 pounds per square inch. That on the fractionating column Was substantially equalized with the pressure in the coking chamber The temperature in the heating element 13 was maintained at approximately 950 degrees F., the pressure on element 13 being preferably equalized with that on the flashing chamber 23.

A yield 50 per cent gasoline having an' anti-knock value of approximately 55 per cent benzol equivalent, that is equivalent to the mixture of Pennsylvania straight run gasoline and benzol containing 55 per cent of the latter, was obtained. In addition 35 per cent of fuel oil residue meeting market requirements with respect to Viscosity and low B. S. content, 5 per cent of pressure distillate bottoms was obtained, the remainder being coke and gas.

When the oil leaving the heating element 13 was by-passed directly into the ashing and coking chamber 23 the through-put or capacity of the plant was reduced but the above yields could be maintained by increasing fuel consumption and reduced capacity.

When the temperature on the heating element 13 was increased to approximately 920 degrees F. and the temperature in 13 to approximately 1000 degrees F., operating the plant at a somewhat smaller capacty and maintaining the pressure conditions in heating yelement 13 and chamber 18 the same as stated, 60 per cent of motor fuel having a benzol equivalent of 60 per cent was obtained. Approximately 10 per cent pressure distillate bottoms was made. Approximately 60 pounds of coke per barrel of oil charged was produced in the chamber 23 and the remainder was gas. In this operation, as in that first described, the reaction chamber 18 was utilized. When the reaction chamber was by-passed, maintaining the temperature conditions as stated, the oil could be readily reduced to coke but the capacity and yield of gasoline was somewhat diminished.

During the coking operations the pressure on the chamber 23 was maintained at approximately 2,0 pounds per square inch, this pressure being equalized with that in the heating element 13' and the fractionating column 6.

With temperatures intermediate to those shown for the fuel oil and coking operations, a residue suitable for asphalt could be produced.

I claim as my invention:

l. A hydrocarbon oil crackng process which comprises passing the oil in a restricted stream through a heating zone and heating the same therein to cracking temperature under pressure, transferring the heated oil from the heating zone to a reaction zone mainta'ned under cracking conditions of temperature and pressure wherein the velocity of the oil is materially reduced, continuously removing unvaporized oil-from said reaction zone and ash distilling the same in a flashing zone by pressure reduction, removing the resultant flashed vapors from the ashing zone and passing a portion thereof, prior to condensation, to a vapor phase cracking zone, heating said portion of the flashed vapors to vapor phase cracking temperature in said cracking zone and introducing the thus heated vapors into the unvaporized oil undergoing distillation in said flashing zone to augment the vapor-ization thereof, and condensing the remaining portion of the ashed vapors removed from said hashing zone.

2. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises passing the oil in a restricted stream through a heating zone and heating the same therein to cracking temperature under pressure,

transferring the heated oil from the heating zone to a reaction zone maintained under cracking conditions of temperature and pressure wherein the velocity of the oil is materially reduced, continuously removing unvaporized oil from said reactionzone and flash distilling the same in a flashing zone by pressure reduction, removing the resultant flashed vapors from the flashing zone, and passing a portion thereof, prior to condensation, to a vapor phase cracking zone, heating said portion of the flashed vapors to vapor phase cracking temperature in said cracking zone and introducing the thus -heated vapors into lthe unvaporized oil undergoing distillation in said flashing zone to augment the vaporization thereof, dephlegmating the remaining portion of the flashed vapors removed from said ashing zone and returning resultant reflux condensate to the heating zone for recycling through the process, and finally condensing the dephlegmated vapors.

3. In processes for cracking hydrocarbon oil of the character in which the oil is heated to a cracking temperature in a coil, thence delivered to an enlarged reaction chamber wherein the velocity of the oil is materially reduced and from which unvaporized oil is passed to a zone of lower pressure to effect distillation thereof by the contained heat of the oil and vapors evolved from the oil subjected to condensation and collection, the improvement which comprises subjecting a portion of the hydrocarbons separated as vapor from the unvaporized oil by the reduction in pressure to vapor phase cracking conditions and reintroducing such portion subsequent to subjectiony to vapor phase cracking conditions to the body of oil undergoing vaporization in said zone of reduced pressure.

JEAN DELA SEGUY. 

